Photos from museum of artillery

[M ELEY]

True, the breech-loading types might have lost some of their...um...gas , but as a close-range weapon meant to sweep the enemies decks, they didn't necessarily need much range. That would have strictly been left up to the larger cannon.

[celtan]

Hi guys,

Muzzle-loading deck guns in Spain were known as Versos or Falcones, (althought the latter was sometimes employed up to three pounders).

These guns were used in both ships and land fortifications, and their advantage lies in that they could be served sometimes by a single soldier, and were fast to load and fire. Their firing angle could be depressed close to the vertical, for close targets, as enemies close to the walls, boarders, or when shooting from the "carajo" high in the mast.

Breech loaders such as this were known as Patarreros.

I wonder, what would be the market price of one like this..?

I know of one that was found at a wreck site, and is unceremoniously sitting in a corner (after being stabilized) at a local museum depot. I have been trying to make the authorities realize how important that piece is, but If I could give them a $ figure, perhaps they would take better care of it...

BTW: Some breech-loaders were of the larger caliber, and were sometimes fired in banks.

Best

M

[fernando]

Hola Manolo

Originally Posted by celtan

... or when shooting from the "carajo" high in the mast ...

Here is a piece of semanthics that many people ignores, even Spanyards (mainly Galicians) and Portuguese, where the term is now only known for its second sense .

Saludos

Fernando

[celtan]

Holá Nandiño,

Actually it's a very interesting word. Carajo/ caraxo can either be 1. a sailing ship "crow's nest", 2. an animal's male sexual organ, or 3. a tax imposed by arabs on the lands of christian subjects.

I guess that the common theme for all three was that you ended up xodido...

Best,

: )

Originally Posted by fernando

Hola Manolo


Here is a piece of semanthics that many people ignores, even Spanyards (mainly Galicians) and Portuguese, where the term is now only known for its second sense .

Saludos

Fernando

[fernando]

[Marc]

Well, the word "verga" (eng. "yard", not the unit of length but the spar on a mast from which sails are set) has also a naval origin...



Hmm... there's that distinct feeling of a Ban Hammer looming in the horizon...

[celtan]

Yes, verga is a piece of wood. So, the title "Countess of Vergara" implies she was a noblewoman in a woody land....



M


BTW: In Spain, a batel was an early type of medieval boat/small ship with a roundish, wide bottom, I believe they were known as cockles in the English world?

Originally Posted by Marc

Well, the word "verga" (eng. "yard", not the unit of length but the spar on a mast from which sails are set) has also a naval origin...



Hmm... there's that distinct feeling of a Ban Hammer looming in the horizon...

[fernando]

Originally Posted by Marc

Well, the word "verga" (eng. "yard", not the unit of length but the spar on a mast from which sails are set) has also a naval origin...



Hmm... there's that distinct feeling of a Ban Hammer looming in the horizon...

Vergas could be huge ... i mean, ship's vergas (spars) .
I don't know whether French adventurer Pyrard de Laval (1575-1652) was exagerating when, at describing the Portuguese naus of the India route as being the largest ships afloat, quoted their spars as measuring twenty four fathoms, needing two hundred men to lift them ... and with the support of two powerfull capstans.
How's that?

[fernando]

Originally Posted by M ELEY

True, the breech-loading types might have lost some of their...um...gas , but as a close-range weapon meant to sweep the enemies decks, they didn't necessarily need much range. That would have strictly been left up to the larger cannon.

Correct reasoning; in fact, most of those pieces were of small dimensions and classified as anti personal. Some times they carried them along on foot, when making incursions in the interior.
They were also good to use in the bateis (ship's rowing boats) to board other ships or engage in battle with other rowing vessels, which so often took place.